**Q: Dear Foodist,
I imagine you get a lot of free products on the job. What do you actually pay for?
A: You know how some people can't use the bathroom at a party without checking out the host's medicine cabinet? I confess: I can't leave without opening the fridge and pantry, looking for weird pork products, foreign condiments, and esoteric spices. So, just to be fair, I'll give everyone a peek at a few unusual suspects that always have a place on my shelves--and my credit-card statement.
It's been almost a year since I gave up coffee, and I'm still alive! I've had help, though: from tea. Especially the tea from Ippodo, a Kyoto-based company that's been around since 1717. I love their matcha (powdered green tea) and other green teas. In warmer months, I ice their barley tea and drink it nonstop. Prices vary; tortoisegeneralstore.com
What do Arnold Schwarzenegger and pumpkin seed oil have in common? Both hail from Graz, Austria, where people drizzle the deeply nutty oil on just about everything--salad, spaetzle, even dessert. I can't go a week without a Bibb lettuce salad with toasted pumpkin seeds and a bit of the oil. My daughter likes it on ice cream. Note: It's highly perishable and extremely powerful--a little goes a long way. $17 for 8.5 oz.; latourangelle.com
After marrying a Norwegian, I've had to buy into a few questionable maxims: Cross-country skiing is a better spectator sport than American football, a-ha had hits other than "Take on Me," and a block of brunost (brown cheese) is a kitchen essential. When it comes to brunost at least, I'm a believer. Somewhere between cheese and fudge in taste, it has a satisfyingly sweet and salty flavor. Breakfast at home usually involves a few slices on top of toast (you'll need a cheese plane, something Norwegian babies are born holding). It's sold in the U.S. as gjetost under the Ski Queen brand. $7 for 9 oz.; amazon.com
Like most Americans, I have several bottles of hot sauce crammed into my refrigerator door. Lately I've been returning to Yuzu Pao. It combines two of-the-moment flavors, yuzu citrus and Sriracha chili sauce. The result is slightly sweet, with welcome floral notes from the yuzu and just the right amount of heat. I use it with abandon on eggs, rice dishes, and soups, as well as in marinades. $6 for 8 oz.; earthy.com
If you're used to eating canned tuna, the new four-star stuff will be a wake-up call for your palate. I stock tins of smoked wild mackerel, Portuguese sardines, and apple-smoked rainbow trout from Cole's, which supports sustainable fishing practices. $6.50 each for 4.4-oz. tins; shoporganic.com
--Andrew Knowlton